Representative Adriano Espaillat Leads Congressional Effort to Recognize Roberto Clemente

NEW YORK, NY -- Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) introduced H. Res 857 – a resolution urging the MLB to retire the number 21 league-wide in recognize the fiftieth anniversary of Roberto Clemente’s tragic yet heroic death.

“Roberto Clemente was a trailblazer in the fight for Puerto Rican civil rights and utilized his stardom to advocate and defend the rights of Black and Brown communities, both on the field and in the streets,” said Rep. Espaillat. “After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968, Clemente led his teammates in refusing to play Opening Day until after Dr. King’s funeral and even wrote a public statement showing his respect of Dr. King’s visionary leadership, which inspired his own actions to demand equity for communities of color, better working conditions for MLB players, visiting sick children, and his work to help level the playing field through training clinics for minority youth.

“Roberto Clemente was the model player social advocate, and I am proud to introduce a resolution to honor his life and legacy and urge the MLB to retire the number 21 league-wide as a show of respect for the tremendous impact on the lives of others through his humanitarian efforts around the world,” Espaillat concluded.

Roberto Clemente was the first Puerto Rican and first person of Latino heritage to win a World Series as a starter, be named MVP, be named World Series MVP, and be elected to the Hall of Fame. Clemente became a union leader in the incipient Major League Baseball Players Association and defended players’ rights to demand better working conditions and benefits. In every city where the Pirates played, Clemente visited sick children in hospitals. He put his heart and soul into training clinics, providing baseball lessons and fun for boys and girls in Pittsburgh, his home island of Puerto Rico, and throughout Latin America.

As the League did with Jackie Robinson’s iconic 42 in 1997 on the fiftieth anniversary of his breaking the color barrier in professional sports, the Espaillat Resolution is urging the MLB to retire the number 21 league-wide in recognize the fiftieth anniversary of Roberto Clemente’s tragic yet heroic death.

Since 1973, Major League Baseball has presented the Roberto Clemente Award to one player in the league who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team. In 2002, Major League Baseball declared the first annual Roberto Clemente Day and in 2021, Major League Baseball announced September 15th would be the permanent date of Roberto Clemente Day to coincide with the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month.

Click here to read the Espaillat Resolution Recognizing Roberto Clemente in its entirety.